how long left alone and what to do during the holidays?

[CowardMan]

Hiya,

just trying to cover all my bases for life with a bird. How long would you guys say it's okay to leave them with food and water in the cage? on times I'm away on vacation or get stuck away longer than expected? Also what do folks here do with their fids for the holidays when visiting family? I normally go to my mum's for the holiday's for about a week and with only a motorbike taking them in a "holiday" cage would be hard at best to do and with it being 4+ hours to get there would almost certainly be too much for them. I'm just a bit stumped on what to do around the holiday period. For normal summertime vacation I have my sister lined up to give food and water daily but of course for christmas she'll be visiting family too so she wouldn't be able to.

 

[Macawdamia Nut]

The longest I have left my macaw unsupervised was one night. I have a security camera trained on his cage so I can see what he is up to, which involves eating, sleeping, preening or playing with his toys. I have mellow music set to go on and off at certain times.

Anything longer than one night and I take him to the avian vet for boarding. It gets very expensive if he is due for an annual exam/psittacosis test/gram stain, which are required for boarding, but that is the cost of doing business. Budget accordingly!

As a result, my trips are either one night or several weeks. The longest trip was one month. It is not worth the hassle or expense to go on short trips longer than overnight. As self-entertaining as my bird is, I do not think it is fair to leave him alone overnight, which encompasses the good part of two days as well. It is rare that I even leave him overnight.

 

[rheashard2]

A back up bird sitter is nice. Someone your vet recommends or you know. Your birds personality will determine minimum frequency. Some like to throw food, dishes on floor. Or bathe in water dish. These need more frequent checks, 3 or more times daily. Then you have your birds personality. Some don't mind you being gone. Some hate it if you're in the next room. Start looking early so you can take your time checking out and evaluating the person you pick. It's also important for your bird to tolerate the person. If bird doesn't like them, attacks, bites and negative behaviors become the norm.